Shoe heel with circular wear element



Sept. 28, 1965 H. E. RUBENS 3,203,163

SHOE HEEL WITH CIRCULAR WEAR ELEMENT Filed Oct. 16, 1961 {Wt/Z INVENTOR: 1

M4 mw United States Patent i 3,208,163 SHOE HEEL WITH CIRCULAR WEAR ELEMENT Harry Ernest Rubens, Westport, Conn. (2 Sutton Place 8., New York 22, N.Y.) Filed Oct. 16, 1961, Ser. No. 145,274 2'Claims. (ill. 3639) My invention relates to a heel for shoes and more particularly to a heel having a readily removable wear absorbing element adapted to be shifted on the heel to provide a fresh trim edge for further Wear.

It is an object of the present invention to simplify the construction of a wear absorbing element and supporting heel structure.

A further object is to reduce the volume of the replaceable heel element to a minimum thereby reducing the cost. This is important if the heel element is to be made of expensive material such as high quality rubber or nylon.

Still another object is to reduce the weight of the heel element and supporting structures.

Other objects are to provide a replaceable and rotatable heel element that can be more easily and quickly installed, rotated, and replaced, than other types.

I accomplish these and other objects and obtain my new results as will be apparent from the device described in the following specification, particularly pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the proposed heel construction and replaceable element mounted to a shoe, shown partially;

FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan view of the heel construction and replaceable element;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken through 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a similar view of a modification in which the supporting structure is made of leather.

My proposed construction generally comprises a hub projecting from the heel base, and an annular element which absorbs almost all of the heel wear, fitting over the same like a rubber band. The annular element can be rotated on the hub for uniform exposure of the rear edge where the wear occurs.

Specificallyl provide a projecting hub over which is fitted a readily replaceable annular ring 12 of wear absorbing material. The hub which receives very little wear may be made of leather, as at 10a, shown in FIG. 4, or of plastic such as polyethylene or nylon. If made of molded material as is shown in FIG. 3, it may be molded in hollow form to reduce the amount of material employed, and therefore its cost and weight.

The width of the annular ring 12 forming the heel element need only be about /6 of its diameter which I have found is sufficient to absorb the bulk of the wear. Any wear that occurs at the exposed surface of the hub is of a minor character that need not be seriously considered from the point of protection. If protection for the hub is desired the thickness of the heel element may be increased slightly in comparison to the thickness of the hub to prevent any wear on the hub itself.

The inner diameter of the annular ring may be formed so as to require a slight stretching to enable the hub to be securely gripped. This is possible if the annular ring is made of elastic rubber, or other material that can be force fitted over the hub. If desired the contacting surfaces between the heel element and the hub may be coated with a permanently tacky adhesive such as is used on cellophane tape, which will enable the heel element to be easily pried from the hub when it is desired to shift its position about the hub. The surface of the hub which contacts the annular ring may be serrated, roughened, or fqtherwlse shaped to aid in securing the annular ring thereto.

The hub may be formed integrallywith .a plate 14 which extends from a heel body 16, to complete the conventional heel shape. The heel body, too, may be made of hollow molded plastic as shown, to reduce the weight.

Nail holes 18 may be formed in the body and hub or plate to permit nailing as at 20 to the heel base 22. The heel base is normally attached to the shoe body 24 by conventional means.

The heel body may comprise the entire thickness of the heel structure if it is desired to avoid use of a heel base. In such case, the heel element may still be relatively thin since it is only desired at the point of wear; and may be rotated and easily replaced. Good quality rubber may be employed because its volume and weight are kept to a minimum to reduce the cost.

The annular construction provides an inexpensive heel element that can be easily removed from the hub and repositioned or replaced as desired.

The annular element may be reversed in position to expose a new fresh edge.

The replaceable element occupies only a small fraction of the volume of a conventional heel. It may therefore be made of higher quality materials than conventional heels, providing a better shock absorbing quality and longer heel life.

There are no screws, bolts or other fasteners required thus reducing manufacturing cos-ts substantially over many other types.

The unique construction enables the thickness of the heel element to be reduced to any desirable dimension. Consequently the invention may be employed on slippers and low heel shoes, since thickness need not be a limitation.

The hub should normally project to the outer wearing surface of the heel element to reduce the cost of the heel element and to provide an adequate level of support, should the replaceable element be accidentally lost.

If the annular ring is made with a uniform cross-section, it may be extruded in the form of a tube and sliced to the desired thickness.

The annular ring 12 may be employed in the sole of the shoe at the tip to provide for an adjustable wearing surface.

I have thus described my invention, but I desire it understood that it is not confined to the particular forms or uses shown and described, the same being merely illustrative, and that the invention may be carried out in other ways Without departing from the spirit of my invention, and therefore I claim broadly the right to employ all equivalent instrumentalities coming within the scope of the appended claims, and by means of which objects of my invention are obtained and new results accomplished since the particular embodiments herein shown and described are only some of the many than can be employed to obtain these objects and accomplish these results.

I claim as follows:

1. A shoe heel construction comprising a substantially rigid base member from which projects a substantially rigid circular hub and a substantially rigid heel body said circular hub, base member, and heel body being made of one piece, and having a substantially semicircular recess between the hub and the heel body; a circular, hollow, wear-absorbing resilient element having inner dimensions corresponding to the outer dimensions of the projecting hub to enable the resilient element to longitudinally slide only, over the hub for securement, and filling the semicircular space between the hub and the heel body whereby the circular resilient element may be rotated to provide a fresh wearing surface at the rear of the heel.

2. The shoe heel construction of claim 1 wherein the circular hub and the heel body are hollow.

References Cited by the Examiner 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/42 Leu 3639 12/46 Margolis 3636 4/47 Monti 3639 10 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

EDWARD V. BENHAM, FRANK I. COHEN,

Deschenes 3 63 6 Vicente 36-39 Johnson 3 6-39 Taylor 3-639 Griffin 3 6-3 6 Berke 3 639 Examiners. 

1. A SHOE HEEL CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID BASE MEMBER FROM WHICH PROJECTS A SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID CIRCULAR HUB AND A SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID HEEL BODY SAID CIRCULAR HUB, BASE MEMBER, AND HEEL BODY BEING MADE OF ONE PIECE, AND HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY SEMICIRCULAR RECESS BETWEEN THE BUB AND THE BEEL BODY; A CIRCULAR, HOLLOW, WEAR-ABSORBING RESILIENT ELEMENT HAVING INNER DIMENSIONS CORRESPONDING TO THE OUTER DIMENSION OF THE PROJECTING HUB TO ENABLE THE RESILIENT ELEMENT TO LONGITUDINALLY SLIDE ONLY, OVER THE BUB FOR SECUREMENT, AND FILLING THE SEMICIRCULAR SPACE BETWEEN THE BUB AND THE HEEL BODY WHEREBY THE CIRCULAR RESILIENT ELEMENT MAY BE ROTATED TO PROVIDE A FRESH WEARING SURFACE AT THE REAR OF THE HEEL. 